Marinated Broccoli Salad

My family has been making marinated broccoli salad on Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. We all love it (although I usually avoid the onions, my Uncle David can’t eat cucumbers, and my brother Chris picks out the olives). The fact that this is possible is actually one of the great things about this salad. Because each ingredient is served whole or in large pieces, it’s easy for selective eaters to dodge whatever they don’t like without causing a scene.

The other nice thing about this salad is that it is served at room temperature. This means that you can prepare it ahead of time (the longer it marinates, the better), and then just pop it on the table when it’s time to eat. On Thanksgiving, having at least one dish that doesn’t require the always-scarce oven space is truly a blessing.

Finally, unlike many other Thanksgiving traditions, this salad is actually good for you! With steamed broccoli, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms, this salad provides a nice balance to other more indulgent dishes. Who knows … if you end up enjoying it as much as we do, you just might add it to your weeknight line up!

Instructions

Cut broccoli florets off the stems. Place in a steamer basket with a small amount of water; steam, covered, until tender. (Here’s a trick my dad taught me: When you can smell the broccoli, it is done cooking. Try it — it works!) Remove broccoli from stove and cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, tomatoes, olives, cucumber and mushrooms. In small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes or longer.